Zillow Group Accessible Housing Search Feature
Zillow Group Accessible Housing Search Feature
Product Manager, Hackweek
Product Manager, Hackweek
Product Manager, Hackweek
Background
Background
Prior to starting my Masters in Information Science at the University of Michigan, I worked for Zillow Group in Business Strategy and Operations. In my time there I created a system that cleaned up 50K faulty data records, ran pilots to test lead conversion efficiency, and developed reporting for new business units.
The product highlighted on this page was from a weeklong Hackathon where I was the product manager on a team of UX designers, data scientists, and front-end developers to create a new search feature I pitched for users with mobility related disabilities.
Prior to starting my Masters in Information Science at the University of Michigan, I worked for Zillow Group in Business Strategy and Operations. In my time there I created a system that cleaned up 50K faulty data records, ran pilots to test lead conversion efficiency, and developed reporting for new business units.
The product highlighted on this page was from a weeklong Hackathon where I was the product manager on a team of UX designers, data scientists, and front-end developers to create a new search feature I pitched for users with mobility related disabilities.
Responsibilites
Responsibilites
Organize a team and get support for the project
Run daily team stand ups to access progress on development
Research competitors and potential market impact of new feature
Coordinate UX interviews and research
Assess feasibility of different solutions with subject matter experts
Develop and pitch final product demo to product and engineering leadership
Organize a team and get support for the project
Run daily team stand ups to access progress on development
Research competitors and potential market impact of new feature
Coordinate UX interviews and research
Assess feasibility of different solutions with subject matter experts
Develop and pitch final product demo to product and engineering leadership
Problem
Problem
14% of adults in the United States have a mobility related disability. Private buildings, including homes, do not have to follow ADA regulations, meaning that many homes available on the market are not accessible to this user population. Zillow did not have a way for a user to search for accessible homes, leaving out this population of users.
To validate this problem, I also looked at competitor websites to see how they were addressing this problem. I found that Redfin and Realtor.com both had accessibility filters that were lacking on Zillow’s website.
14% of adults in the United States have a mobility related disability. Private buildings, including homes, do not have to follow ADA regulations, meaning that many homes available on the market are not accessible to this user population. Zillow did not have a way for a user to search for accessible homes, leaving out this population of users.
To validate this problem, I also looked at competitor websites to see how they were addressing this problem. I found that Redfin and Realtor.com both had accessibility filters that were lacking on Zillow’s website.
User Research
User Research
I conducted 4 user interviews with users who have various mobility related disabilities and who were at various stages of their house hunting journey. My main 2 research questions were:
What tools are currently being used to help support the house hunting journey?
My goal was to learn about current solutions and the competitive landscape.
What causes friction in the house hunting process?
My goal was to learn more about pain points to identify an opportunity for Zillow.
My 3 main findings were:
This audience relies heavily on real estate agent expertise because accessible homes are not easily found online, not even on competitor websites.
Current accessibility filters are not working well because they either leave no homes left to search through or they are not detailed enough, as some “accessible” homes may still be insufficient for some users.
Due to the low supply of fully accessible homes, there is a demand for homes that are potentially modifiable that are currently impossible to find without real estate agent knowledge and support.
I conducted 4 user interviews with users who have various mobility related disabilities and who were at various stages of their house hunting journey. My main 2 research questions were:
What tools are currently being used to help support the house hunting journey?
My goal was to learn about current solutions and the competitive landscape.
What causes friction in the house hunting process?
My goal was to learn more about pain points to identify an opportunity for Zillow.
My 3 main findings were:
This audience relies heavily on real estate agent expertise because accessible homes are not easily found online, not even on competitor websites.
Current accessibility filters are not working well because they either leave no homes left to search through or they are not detailed enough, as some “accessible” homes may still be insufficient for some users.
Due to the low supply of fully accessible homes, there is a demand for homes that are potentially modifiable that are currently impossible to find without real estate agent knowledge and support.
Minimum Viable Product
This product feature is accessibility filter based on available housing data that populates available homes on Zillow.com would bring Zillow Group to parity with competitors.
Tradeoffs:
This is a low lift for developers as this demo was successfully produced by the end of the week.
However it would not effectively solve the user’s problem, as accessibility filters often filter out too many homes and severely limit results that show up.
Minimum Viable Product
This product feature is accessibility filter based on available housing data that populates available homes on Zillow.com would bring Zillow Group to parity with competitors.
Tradeoffs:
This is a low lift for developers as this demo was successfully produced by the end of the week.
However it would not effectively solve the user’s problem, as accessibility filters often filter out too many homes and severely limit results that show up.
Minimum Viable Product
This product feature is accessibility filter based on available housing data that populates available homes on Zillow.com would bring Zillow Group to parity with competitors.
Tradeoffs:
This is a low lift for developers as this demo was successfully produced by the end of the week.
However it would not effectively solve the user’s problem, as accessibility filters often filter out too many homes and severely limit results that show up.
Ideal Future State Product Concept
This product feature is an additional search filter page that allows users to specifically select accessible features. Data would be populated by seller agent generated tags. This feature would make Zillow Group stand out against competitors for this user group.
Tradeoffs:
This would be a higher lift for developers as it would require building a new data intake from sellers agents and would require vetting for accuracy.
This feature would effectively solve the user’s problem as it would give the user flexibility to search for exactly the features they need and avoids excessively filtering out results.
Ideal Future State Product Concept
This product feature is an additional search filter page that allows users to specifically select accessible features. Data would be populated by seller agent generated tags. This feature would make Zillow Group stand out against competitors for this user group.
Tradeoffs:
This would be a higher lift for developers as it would require building a new data intake from sellers agents and would require vetting for accuracy.
This feature would effectively solve the user’s problem as it would give the user flexibility to search for exactly the features they need and avoids excessively filtering out results.
Ideal Future State Product Concept
This product feature is an additional search filter page that allows users to specifically select accessible features. Data would be populated by seller agent generated tags. This feature would make Zillow Group stand out against competitors for this user group.
Tradeoffs:
This would be a higher lift for developers as it would require building a new data intake from sellers agents and would require vetting for accuracy.
This feature would effectively solve the user’s problem as it would give the user flexibility to search for exactly the features they need and avoids excessively filtering out results.
Due to NDA, I cannot publicly share all details of my work at Zillow Group. If interested, please email me at edith.y.zhang@gmail.com.
This product feature launched in September 2022. Due to NDA, I cannot publicly share all project details. If interested, please email me at edith.y.zhang@gmail.com.
This product feature launched in September 2022. Due to NDA, I cannot publicly share all project details. If interested, please email me at edith.y.zhang@gmail.com.
Impact
Impact
Awards: This product was awarded the social impact prize at Zillow Group based on having the highest potential to make a positive social impact.
Company Culture: After this product was pitched, Zillow Group leadership invited speakers on home accessibility to talk to engineering leadership to learn more about other products and features that could benefit this community group.
Awards: This product was awarded the social impact prize at Zillow Group based on having the highest potential to make a positive social impact.
Company Culture: After this product was pitched, Zillow Group leadership invited speakers on home accessibility to talk to engineering leadership to learn more about other products and features that could benefit this community group.
University of Michigan
Final Capstone Project
University of Michigan
Final Capstone Project
Created new feature to improve accessibility of video games for low vision players. Awarded 1st place in University of Michigan School of Information student expo.
Intuit for Education
Product Manager
Intuit for Education
Product Manager